Ireland STEP in 2026: The Short Version
Ireland's Start-up Entrepreneur Programme (STEP) gives non-EEA founders residence in Ireland if they have an innovative, internationally traded business idea and at least €50,000 in funding. Approved founders get Stamp 4 permission for 2 years, renewable for 3 more, with family included. This guide covers the requirements, the evaluation process, and how to actually secure the €50,000, with the essentials also on our Ireland founder visa page.
STEP is one of the most founder-friendly programs in Europe on paper: no job creation required on day one, no minimum salary, and a direct path toward citizenship. The catch is the screening. Ireland only wants High Potential Start-Ups, and the Evaluation Committee reads business plans like an investor, not like a clerk.
What STEP Is (And What the €50,000 Actually Means)
STEP is Ireland's dedicated startup founder route, run by Immigration Service Delivery with business assessment by Enterprise Ireland's Evaluation Committee. The core financial requirement:
- €50,000 minimum funding for the first founder.
- €30,000 additional for each subsequent founder joining the same business (a CTO or CFO co-founder, for example).
The funding can come from multiple sources, and this is where founders misread the program. Qualifying sources include:
- Your own savings
- Venture capital or angel investment
- A business loan
- Grants, including Irish state agency support
You do not need to have spent the money. You need to show you have secured it, with documented evidence of the source. For most first-time founders without €50,000 in the bank, that means one thing: close a small pre-seed round before you apply. A single angel check can satisfy the entire requirement.
Who Qualifies: The High Potential Start-Up Test
The Evaluation Committee assesses whether your venture is a High Potential Start-Up (HPSU), defined as a business that is:
- Introducing a new or innovative product or service to international markets
- Involved in manufacturing or internationally traded services
- Capable of creating 10 jobs in Ireland and reaching €1 million in sales within 3 to 4 years of starting up
- Headquartered and controlled in Ireland, and less than 6 years old
Just as important is what does NOT qualify. STEP explicitly excludes businesses like retail, catering, personal services, and other local trades. A restaurant, an agency serving Irish clients, or a consultancy will be refused regardless of funding. The program is built for startups that sell beyond Ireland: SaaS, fintech, medtech, deep tech, and export-oriented products.
There is no degree requirement and no points system. The business plan does the qualifying.
What You Get: Stamp 4, Family, and the Path to Citizenship
Approved STEP founders receive Stamp 4 permission, the most flexible immigration status Ireland issues:
| Benefit | Detail |
|---|---|
| Initial permission | 2 years on Stamp 4 |
| Renewal | 3 more years if the business is progressing (5 years total) |
| Family | Spouse/partner and children included |
| Work rights | Stamp 4 allows work without a separate employment permit |
| Long-term residence | Eligible after 5 years of legal residence |
| Citizenship | Stamp 4 time counts toward naturalisation, typically after 5 years of reckonable residence |
The renewal test at year 2 is progress, not perfection. The committee looks at whether you executed against the plan: incorporation, hiring, product launched, revenue or funding raised. Missing your €1M sales projection does not kill the renewal if the trajectory is real.
The Application: Fee, Committee, and Timeline
The mechanics are simple; the screening is not.
- Application fee: €350, non-refundable.
- Evaluation Committee: meets quarterly. Applications are batched and assessed 4 times a year, so your timing relative to the next committee sitting matters more than raw processing speed.
- Documents: the application form, a full business plan, evidence of the €50,000 and its source, proof of good character (police clearance), and identity documents.
- Realistic timeline: 3 to 6 months from submission to decision, depending on where you land in the committee cycle.
One structural tip: the committee is staffed by people from Enterprise Ireland, the state VC that backs hundreds of startups. Write the plan for investors. Market size, traction, unit economics, and a credible 10-jobs-in-4-years hiring plan carry more weight than legal boilerplate.
Raising the €50,000: Where Round Funded Fits
The most common STEP blocker is not paperwork, it is the funding evidence. If you do not have €50,000 in savings, you need an angel or pre-seed check, and that means investor outreach.
Round Funded is built for exactly this raise: a database of 10,000+ active investors filterable by stage, sector, and geography, including angels and pre-seed funds that back founders relocating to Europe. The platform drafts personalized outreach from your data room and sends it from your own Gmail, then tracks opens and replies so you know who is warm.
A €50,000 angel round is 1 or 2 checks. With a 100-contact outreach campaign at typical cold reply rates of 5 to 10 percent, that is a weeks-long project, not a year-long one.
Browse 10,000+ active investors on Round Funded →
For the Irish ecosystem itself, see our directories of accelerators in Ireland and investors in Dublin.
How to Apply for Ireland STEP: Step by Step
- Check the current requirements on Round Funded's Ireland visa guide and confirm your business passes the HPSU test: innovative, internationally traded, credible path to 10 jobs and €1M sales.
- Secure the €50,000. Savings, an angel check, VC, a loan, or a grant. If you need investors, start outreach through the Round Funded database 2 to 3 months before you plan to apply.
- Write the business plan like a pitch deck in prose. Problem, product, market size, go-to-market, hiring plan, financial projections. Our pitch deck library shows how funded startups structure the same story.
- Gather evidence. Bank statements or investment agreements proving the funding and its source, plus police clearance from your countries of residence.
- Submit the application with the €350 fee and time it against the quarterly Evaluation Committee calendar.
- On approval, register in Ireland and receive your 2-year Stamp 4.
- Execute and document progress for the year-2 renewal: incorporation, hires, revenue, follow-on funding.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much money do I need for Ireland's STEP visa?
€50,000 minimum in secured funding for the first founder, plus €30,000 for each additional founder on the same application. The money can come from savings, investors, a loan, or a grant, and you must document the source. You do not need to have spent it before applying. Details on /visa/ireland.
Can investor funding count toward the €50,000?
Yes. Venture capital and business angel investment are explicitly accepted sources. A single angel check covers the whole requirement, which is why many applicants close a small pre-seed round first. Round Funded gives you 10,000+ active investors filtered by stage and sector to run that raise systematically.
What businesses are excluded from STEP?
Retail, catering, personal services, and similar locally traded businesses do not qualify, no matter how well funded. STEP targets High Potential Start-Ups: innovative products or services sold to international markets, capable of 10 jobs and €1 million in sales within 3 to 4 years.
How long does the STEP application take?
Plan for 3 to 6 months. The Evaluation Committee assesses applications quarterly, so your position in the cycle drives the timeline more than document processing. The application fee is €350 and is not refunded on refusal.
Does STEP lead to Irish citizenship?
Yes, through naturalisation. STEP grants Stamp 4, which counts as reckonable residence. After 5 years of legal residence you can apply for citizenship, and Ireland allows dual citizenship. Your spouse and children are included in the STEP permission from day one.
What happens at the 2-year renewal?
You show progress against the business plan: incorporation, hiring, product, revenue, or new funding. The renewal adds 3 more years of Stamp 4. The committee looks for real execution, not perfect delivery of your original projections.
Is STEP better than other European founder visas?
It depends on your stage. STEP's €50,000 bar is higher than Estonia's startup visa or France's French Tech Visa, but Stamp 4 is a stronger status than most European equivalents: full work rights, family included, and a 5-year line to citizenship in an English-speaking EU country. Compare the options on our visa index.
Final Word
STEP rewards founders who show up looking like a fundable startup: real innovation, international market, €50,000 secured, and a plan written for investors. If the funding is the missing piece, treat it as a 100-contact outreach project and close an angel before you apply.
Start raising from 10,000+ active investors →
Need the €50,000 before you apply? Find your first investor on Round Funded.
